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Bluebird

The basics:

Sign up for a free account from Bluebird. Wait 7-10 business days to receive the card. If you have a Serve account, you will need to cancel it and then wait about 30 days before signing up. You need to wait for your physical BB card before you can proceed here.

Please note: As of the beginning of July 2014, you can load a maximum of $2500 a day at a WM register or ATM, up to $5,000 each calendar month into your Bluebird (hereafter: "BB") account. As of September 4, 2014, you can also load an additional $200/day with a debit card, up to $1000/month, though this might be risky, see below, II.4.

You can find answers to many questions here: https://www.bluebird.com/faqs?linknav=us-Prepaid-Bluebird-Home-Faqs#bluebird-checks And here: https://www.bluebird.com/ (just scroll down instead of clicking 'log in')

How to load it:

"Gift" cards (GCs)
Mastercard (MC) and Visa GCs have PIN codes that will make the cards function as debit cards. GCs may be used to load up your BB account in any Walmart, as will be explained below, or to get cash back when purchasing with them. Note that not all GCs work this way. Those from Metabank do, as do others. AMEX GCs are not capable of working with a PIN. They can only be used as gift cards. GCs for a specific business or store (iTunes or Home Depot or whatever) will never work in the ways described here. Note that 'Vanilla' brand GCs can no longer  be loaded to BB.

1. Buy Visa or MC GCs. The larger the denomination the better, since the fee-to-balance ratio will be better. Buy them anywhere, but you get the most out of this if you buy them with a CC that pays more than 1 point per dollar at that store at that time.

2. You will need a PIN for each GC. If you bought a MC GC, call the number on the back of the card or go online to set a PIN. If you bought a Visa, the last four digits of the card number will usually work, as long as you have not used the card yet. If you have used it, you had to set a PIN, so use that.
The # for US Bank MC Gift Cards is 1-866-952-5653. 1/2/<16 digit cc>#/<3 digits from back>#/3/PIN#/PIN#.

3. Go to Walmart (WM).

There are two suggested ways to load the GCs to BB at WM. Via a MoneyPass ATM (preferred) or via any cashier. Neither method charges an additional fee to what you paid when you bought the card. Please do not go to the service desk. Certainly do not refer to the GCs as gift cards, as they are, in fact, debit cards.

3a. MoneyPass ATMs

Not all WMs have MoneyPass ATMs, and MoneyPass ATMs at non-WM locations will not work to load BB. You can search for MoneyPass ATMs at WMs here: http://www.moneypass.com/atm-locator.aspx

Some report that MoneyPass ATMs in WMs near areas with high concentrations of DDFers seem to be permanently out of service. You may need to go farther afield or use the other method, mentioned below.

Follow the instructions on the machine to load your BB card. In some cases, the "WM Money Card" option will work for BB as well. Be patient and careful with your card swipes, as the machines are often slow or touchy. Each GC will be a separate transaction. Remember, the maximum of $2,500/day per BB account always applies.

If you are using high-denomination GCs, have found a very quick ATM, had a fellow BBer ahead of you, or are just experienced and able to complete each transaction very quickly, it is possible that you will complete $2,000 of transactions within about 10 minutes, which locks up the ATM for a while. Take a walk around the store and come back to let the machine unlock.

3b. Cashier

Please remember to be friendly, considerate and compassionate in all your interactions.

Ask a cashier to load your BB account from a debit card. If they don't know how, tell them to use 70 action code (they may need to type 70 first, followed by "action code") and follow the instructions on their screen. They are able to split a single transaction into up to four different cards, but it can be simpler to add one GC at a time, especially with people waiting behind you on line. You can then go back around to the same or another cashier to add other cards. Again, the $2,500/day per BB account applies.

This method should work at any WM - as intended by the BB product - but there are many stores in which some or all of the staff and management are suspicious of such transactions and will not do it. Your chances of convincing them to do something they think will risk their jobs is slim to none so if you encounter such resistance, please: Do take no for an answer and leave courteously to try another store or another day.
You want to stay under the radar as much as possible, so if things start getting complicated, tell them that you just remembered that you need to pick your kid up from school or whatever (have a good excuse ready beforehand) and that you need to leave, but you'll be back later. Th is way they forgot about their suspicions much faster.

4. It is apparently possible to load up to $200 per day to BB from debit cards on the BB web site for free, up to $1000 per month. Please note that people have had their BB accounts frozen or shut down for using GCs to load BB online, and that the BB site clearly says that any debit card used must be in the BB account holder's name. You have been warned.

Using A MC GC
Frequently a MC is declined at WM

When using the moneypass ATM, press the button ABOVE the BB button.  It may work without the following workaround.
The workaround is to:
1. Swipe MC
2.If you have the black and green screen press Cancel.If you have the white screen with colored touch icons, then right after you swipe a yellow 'change payment' button well pop up for a second, press that (you have to be fast).  You can also push the physical yellow button on the keypad. It does the same thing.
3. Select Debit
4. No Cash Back
5. Enter the PIN

Also seems to work if only $99 loaded.  or 99.99, too.

What to do with the money on your BB:

On the BB site, money can be sent to pay bills that don't normally accept CCs (think rent/mortgage, tuition, insurance, car payment, gas bill, even pay your cc bill) or to anyone in the U.S. for free. Use the 'pay and transfer tab'.  Checks sent online this way are delivered within 5 business days. (It may be prudent not to use BB to directly pay the CC on which you purchased the VRs/GCs that funded BB, but, once again, YMMV.)

Some people would rather use the free physical checks that you can order from BB. Please note that these checks need to be pre-authorized by you online, and a number written on them, before you give them to the person/institution you are paying. For checks of more than $2,000, authorization will require additional information and time. You need to provide the information and wait for confirmation before the check will be valid.

The money in your BB account can be withdrawn directly to a linked bank account, which, if done too much, may be seen as risky by BB, but in moderation should be fine. You can also send money to your bank account online by check, same as any other payee, but this might be risky from the perspective of the bank (not BB) if you bank and have CCs at the same institution.

Useful organizing techniques:

It can be unwieldy and confusing when standing in front of the WM ATM with a BB card or two and a bunch of GCs, some used, some not. The last thing anyone wants is to end up throwing away several hundred dollars on a perfectly good GC because you mistakenly thought it was drained. I'm sure there are contributors to this thread who have woken up in a cold sweat from just such a nightmare. Plus, being unorganized costs you time, and may make it more likely that some employee thinks you are up to something. Here are a few strategies for how to be organized.

1. Cargo pants, or other clothing/accessories with plenty of different pockets. Use different pockets for GCs yet to use and used GCs.

2. If you have more than one BB card, shuffle them into the stack of GCs at the appropriate spots for how many GCs you plan to load to each card. That way, you can just work through the stack and finish/begin each new BB card in turn.

3. A Sharpie marker works well for marking off GCs or BBs that you're done with. The marks even come off the cards with a little alcohol. Careful not to mark yourself or your clothes though.

4. Sort your GCs in ascending order of last 4 digits.  That makes it easier to keep track of which GCs are used.

To Close Your Bluebird:
While logged into your BB account, open this page: https://secure.bluebird.com/Profile/CloseAccount   

This no longer works and the only way to close your account is to call
For more details, including how to close family accounts, see (FM writeup)
« Last edited by justmeha on January 11, 2020, 11:55:46 PM »

Author Topic: Bluebird: Now you can pay bills that don`t take credit card with a credit card  (Read 2263884 times)

Offline Marco Polo

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I don't have patience or time to read all these pages. Jow that vr's are finished how is the easiest and quickest way to meet spending thresholds without waiting for a visa or mc gift card to arrive in the mail and what to do next. I really appreciate any help with this thanks
You can go to the store and buy them. No wait.
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Offline Yehuda25

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Emboss your name on it.
I was thinking about something similar, is there any way to do that ?
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Offline CS1

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I was thinking about something similar, is there any way to do that ?
that would be a neat thing to make with an adhesive. It could be made in pairs and be a reusable item for the next 100 GCs....
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Offline rng

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You can go to the store and buy them. No wait.
which store? do they ask for id? how much do i put on each card?
On the eveolve ddf thread it doesnt seem simple at all. My ap account was shut down and I need to spend 3k in next 3 days so I dont get hit with the annual fee for the plat card, need good suggestions. thanks again

Offline CS1

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which store? do they ask for id? how much do i put on each card?
On the eveolve ddf thread it doesnt seem simple at all. My ap account was shut down and I need to spend 3k in next 3 days so I dont get hit with the annual fee for the plat card, need good suggestions. thanks again
a typical store like Lowe's or an Office Supply store.
Either buy actual store cards (a staples card that you can use online for the next year) or Gap cards, or regular GCs or One Vanillas.
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Offline rng

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what do i do with the gc's that I buy at lowes? if its a visa gc I can load on as much $$ as i want or there is a limit? what do i do with the card once I buy I need to pay my cc bill.

Offline ckmk47

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I don't have patience or time to read all these pages. Jow that vr's are finished how is the easiest and quickest way to meet spending thresholds without waiting for a visa or mc gift card to arrive in the mail and what to do next. I really appreciate any help with this thanks
which store? do they ask for id? how much do i put on each card?
On the eveolve ddf thread it doesnt seem simple at all. My ap account was shut down and I need to spend 3k in next 3 days so I dont get hit with the annual fee for the plat card, need good suggestions. thanks again
Your 3 day deadline is making you uptight.  When you have more patience, read some more on DDF to be better informed for the future.
For now.  Go to a store and buy visa or mc gift cards.  Many supermarkets have variable load GCs that say $50 - $500 on top and you tell the cashier how much to load.  Office supply stores have $100 and $200 GCs.  Some gas stations have them.  To make the fee a smaller percentage of the net, get the largest the card you can.
rule: get visa (or MC) DO NOT get amex.
Buy $3000 worth of cards.  Now your cc threshold has been met.  breathe. sigh.

Now to use those cards.
Evolve money allows you to pay bills of companies that they have on their list.  The no-fee way to pay has a delivery time of a few days.
You input your bill info. save.  pay $XX . payment type - debit card. input the GC info and submit.  wait 10 min. do it again. Until your bill is paid.  Start again until your cards run out.  or hold extra cards for next month's bills.
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Offline rng

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Your 3 day deadline is making you uptight.  When you have more patience, read some more on DDF to be better informed for the future.
For now.  Go to a store and buy visa or mc gift cards.  Many supermarkets have variable load GCs that say $50 - $500 on top and you tell the cashier how much to load.  Office supply stores have $100 and $200 GCs.  Some gas stations have them.  To make the fee a smaller percentage of the net, get the largest the card you can.
rule: get visa (or MC) DO NOT get amex.
Buy $3000 worth of cards.  Now your cc threshold has been met.  breathe. sigh.

Now to use those cards.
Evolve money allows you to pay bills of companies that they have on their list.  The no-fee way to pay has a delivery time of a few days.
You input your bill info. save.  pay $XX . payment type - debit card. input the GC info and submit.  wait 10 min. do it again. Until your bill is paid.  Start again until your cards run out.  or hold extra cards for next month's bills.
Thanks so much for writing, if i spent it on an amex charge card will it allow me to pay my amex bill?

Offline milechazzer

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I had one of "those" experiences last night at Walmart. ATM was broken, so I waited on checkout line to load two $500 vanilla one GCs. Cashier must have been somewhat of a newbie, since I had to explain to her action code 70, and then she still needed to call another one over for help. After the first GC was loaded, I asked if she would mind doing one more for me. She got a little frazzled and called over a CSR. Cashier wass still holding my BB card, and handed it to the CSR. CSR asked to see the debit card I was using, so of course I handed her my bank debit card with my name on it :) Then she told me there has been a lot of fraud and asked me for my ID. After I handed over my ID, she asked me whether my first transaction had been the same debit card, and then she reprinted the receipt and asked me to show her which debit card I had used for the first transaction. I asked her why there was an issue then with the first transaction, and what that had to do with the load that I was trying to do with my debit card, and she told me again about fraud issues, and that they have to check the cards and IDs. Then she printed out a copy of the previous receipt and asked me to show her the debit card that was on that receipt.  So I reluctantly showed her my OV card, with the numbers that were on the original receipt. Then she informed me that I'm not supposed to be using a prepaid card for a load at the cashier, and I can only do that at the ATM. So I told her the ATM was broken, and I was told my customer service to do it at the cashier. Then she said I'm not allowed to use prepaid cards at the ATM or cashier, but what I do at the cashier is my own business, so they can't stop me from using it there. I asked her if there is a policy she can show me about this, and she said she didn't think so, but she could have a manager "explain" it to me if I wanted. (I declined, and moved on...)

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know if there actually is any policy at Walmart restricting use of prepaid debit cards to load BB?

Thx

Offline Barryg

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I went to walmart to load my staples gift cards to the bluebird. They asked to see the card and said because it wasn't embossed with my name I can't do it. Any ideas?
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/credit-card-embosser  :P

Offline Barryg

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what do i do with the gc's that I buy at lowes? if its a visa gc I can load on as much $$ as i want or there is a limit? what do i do with the card once I buy I need to pay my cc bill.
CMIIW but I don't believe that Lowes sells Visa GC's...

Offline rivkao

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CMIIW but I don't believe that Lowes sells Visa GC's...
No, they dont

Offline CS1

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CMIIW but I don't believe that Lowes sells Visa GC's...
was referring that one can buy the Staples gcs there and then buy the visa gcs online later.
The goal is to spend the $3K in the next 3 days, so just a Lowe's and OS store will take care of that in a day or two.
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Offline mdrills

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was referring that one can buy the Staples gcs there and then buy the visa gcs online later.
The goal is to spend the $3K in the next 3 days, so just a Lowe's and OS store will take care of that in a day or two.
get the $50 staples gc's because you can only use 5 gc's per purchase.

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http://www.ebay.com/bhp/credit-card-embosser  :P
that's worth it -- especially if 10 DDFers share it. Multiple names per family are possible, as well.
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Offline DBK

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that's worth it -- especially if 10 DDFers share it. Multiple names per family are possible, as well.
Whos interested?

Offline @Yehuda

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Just go to NJ for OVs :)

Offline Marco Polo

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Just go to NJ for OVs :)
Doesn't help for the WM's that want to see a name.
Quaerite et Invenietis.

Offline @Yehuda

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Doesn't help for the WM's that want to see a name.
Oh yeah, that makes sense.

Offline MoGro17

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does anyone have experience paying a mortgage with evolve?

I dont live close to a walmart w/atm so its hard to load my BB card now.